Today, May 17, 2011, is the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. The hope of a day like this is to eradicate its reason for existing.
| A life without discrimination is a basic human right. |
You may have by now seen the UN Commissioner on Human Rights speaking out against hate crimes and “corrective rape”.
The UNCHR also produced a pamphlet (pdf) called The United Nations Speaks Out: tackling discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. I’ve linked to the English version, but the pamphlet is available in multiple languages.
In more than 70 countries, laws make it a crime to be homosexual, exposing millions to the risk of arrest, imprisonment and, in some cases, execution.